Our Story

Nothing about my son Dion’s birth went to plan. We were living in London at the time, and after a 30+ hour induced labour at 42 weeks, his heartbeat suddenly flatlined. I was rushed into emergency surgery and told we had minutes to save his life. That moment shook me to my core — and it was the beginning of a challenging postpartum journey that would ultimately change the course of my life.

Everything about new parenthood was harder than I expected. We faced breastfeeding issues from day one, so I was hooked up to a breast pump eight times a day. I was recovering from an emergency caesarean and subsequent complications and barely able to move around the house. We had no family nearby, and within three months, London went into lockdown.

We were in survival mode for months. We leaned on every shortcut we could and meals were one of the first things we outsourced. But I often felt uneasy about the impact on my health (especially as a breastfeeding mum) and the waste piling up in our bin. What I wanted more than anything was home cooked, slow cooked, nutrient dense and comforting meals. But instead I had burgers and tuna from the can!

Plus, the layers of packaging in takeaway— plastic containers, inside paper bags, inside more plastic — really struck me. I’ve always been mindful about the environment, but becoming a mum made it more personal. I wanted to protect the future for the tiny human I’d just brought into the world.

That difficult postpartum chapter lit a fire in me to support other parents through their own transitions. It’s what pushed me to leave a career in human rights law and start New Bub Club — a meal delivery service designed with new parents in mind.

Today, I’m lucky to be on this journey with my two beautiful boys (now 5.5 and 3), and living in Melbourne with my husband.

xx Darby